Tag: Nursery

Now that we know flowers help attract bees, butterflies and birds; let’s get a bit more specific about what kind of flowers. We also discussed about single petaled flowers being better than the double petaled ones.

The next thing is to incorporate as many colors as possible. Its true that colorful flowers attract bees and butterflies more than the usual white flowers.

Also add as many different variety of flowers as possible. Fruit vegetables are a great option too.

Prefer both Bunch flowers like Ixora and Pentas as well as individual flowers like hibiscus.

The first time I heard the word Indigenous (with reference to plants) I knew for sure they were referring to the genus of plants originating in India!! Well, I did realize that I should refer a dictionary and not come up with my own interpretations!!

So what is Indigenous? Indigenous means originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native.(To me, who stay’s in India, the misinterpretation and correct interpretation didn’t really make a difference though 😉 )

So, Why should we go for Indigenous plants?

Because only and only indigenous plants help you attract the fauna!! By fauna, I mean, the birds, bees and other insects!

So how do we identify these native plants?

The simplest and most useful trick I use here in India – I check if there is a name for the plant in local language. If the local language has a name for the plant it definitely is a local/native/indigenous plant.

If I know only the English and/or Botanical name of the plant, I know its not indigenous to India or my State!

Gardener’s Confession: Yes, I do have a few plants that are not indigenous, but a majority of them are Indigenous!! 🙂 😉 🙂

With so many Online and Offline options available, one often ponders where to buy the plants from. I would recommend buying plants from a local Plant Nursery! Wondering why am I saying so?

5 reasons to buy plants from a local plant Nursery!

Local Nurseries keep only the plants that thrive well in the local weather/climate conditions. So in short, their maximum chunk of plants are sturdy ones.

Since the plants are sourced from local farms, they suffer less damage in transit.

They are cheaper.

You can actually see, feel and touch the plant before buying. You can choose to buy a specific plant which you like. A lot of times there are several options available in a single category. To give an example, have a look at the following images.

All of them may be categorized as pink hibiscus. But you can notice the difference, not only in the shades but also in species. So it is best that you see the flowers so that you know what you’re buying rather than just having a vague idea.

It helps create/foster employment in local area and by employment I mean all those who are engaged in this activity right from farm to the nursery.

When to buy Plants:

It is always a great idea to buy new plants. The only thing you have to be careful about is buying plants during change of season. In India this would typically mean the months of June, October and March. Two main reasons for not buying plants in these months:

Like humans, plants also suffer from lower immunity during change of season especially if they are young. They either get infected with some disease or are vulnerable to pest attacks. I am not saying this to discourage you from buying plants. I just want you to be prepared for it. You ought to know that even if your plants are attacked or infected, it is temporary, like we catching a flu!

If you’re buying plants for the first time, you should know what to expect out of it. For example, you bought a plant in the month of March when it had blossomed and had abundant flowers. You bought the plant expecting it to continue flowering just to know, that it has stopped flowering within a week’s time; only because its flowering season was December-March.

I hope this article has helped you. Please leave your comments on the comment section below and let me know your feedback. Also please do Like, Share and Follow the Blog.